Children's Home run by Lily Residential Services Ltd in Dorset

Inspection report for children's home: 2739974 1 Registered provider: Lily Residential Services Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned by a private provider and offers care for up to 3 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. Two children have moved in since the last inspection and 3 children have moved out.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 2 September 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2739974 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/09/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2739974 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Five children have lived in the home since March 2025. Staff have delivered personalised care to all children and this has supported them to make progress to varying degrees. Staff prioritise relationship based practice and this has resulted in them developing positive bonds with children, who remain in contact after they leave the home. Staff’s approach helps children to feel valued, respected and heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children are currently living in the home and they are settled and happy. One child is struggling to attend school. However, they have completed their mock exams and they are intent on completing their GCSE exams in order to achieve their career aspirations. Staff support the child to complete school work at home independently and with the support of a tutor. The child also attends college once per week. Staff support another child to attend their chosen school, despite the lengthy travel.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their physical and mental health needs. They arrange medical appointments for children, support referrals to specialist services and encourage children to take their medication. If staff see vapes in children’s bedrooms, they remove them and talk with them about the harmful health implications.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are keen to hear about children’s interests and hobbies for example, arts and crafts, swimming and attending youth club. They praise children for their natural talents and encourage them to safely spend time with their friends in the community or at the home. Staff also support children to spend time with their families and when appropriate, share positive observations and concerns with social care. This approach supported reunification between one child and their mother, which enabled them to return to their family home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers have good oversight of children’s transitions into and out of the home. They exercise thoughtfulness and critical reflection during initial placement discussions. They speak fluidly about children’s vulnerabilities and risks and how they might interact together. However, this is not sufficiently documented. Children have generally benefited from positive endings to their time at the home. There was some uncertainty for one child; the registered manager rightly raised concerns with the local authority about this.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s lived experiences and how this influences their behaviours, vulnerabilities and risks. They prioritise building connections with children so that they can help them to become increasingly safe, while taking account of their starting points. For example, one child’s missing episodes have stopped and staff have supported them to safely manage independent time in the community. Staff also supported another child to drastically reduce their cannabis use by focusing on their underlying anxiety. Inspection report for children's home: 2739974 4 When children go missing from home or school, staff respond appropriately. They search for children in locations they are known to frequent, speak with their friend’s parents and they work collaboratively with the police, professionals and their families. When staff locate children, they welcome them home and check on their wellbeing. They also

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

ensure that return home interviews are completed by external professionals.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff anticipate when children might behave in a manner that could cause them harm and they take steps to intervene. For example, they suspected that one child may have smoked cannabis despite having a driving lesson scheduled. Staff refused to pay for the lesson, which prevented the child from driving under the (suspected) influence of drugs. While the child disagreed with staff’s stance, they remained resolute in their duty to protect them and other road users.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Leaders respond quickly to emerging concerns, sharing information with relevant agencies. Staff talk openly with children about their observations and worries for them, which gives children the opportunity to share their views and engage in meaningful and educational conversations with staff. Depending on the nature of concerns, managers will sometimes join these conversations, helping children to understand the rationale for their concerns and decision making.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There have been no physical interventions since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has established a culture of kindness, play and nurture in the home. This is visible in the interactions between children and staff and in the home environment, where children’s painted stones, artwork and wooden ornaments are proudly displayed. The registered manager listens to children’s views, wishes and feelings and incorporates them into targets, which he underpins with research. This guides staff to take a phased approach when helping children to make progress and become increasingly safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working in the home and they hold the registered manager in high esteem. One member of staff said, ‘he is an excellent manager who leads with consistency and integrity.’ Staff feel valued and supported to fulfil their roles to a good standard. The manager uses supervision sessions to explore staff’s development sharing praise, highlighting shortfalls and prompting reflection. He uses team meetings to draw attention to children’s needs, emerging risks and mitigation strategies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has taken learning on board from the full inspection in September 2024 and the assurance inspection in March 2025. He has made necessary changes to improve the delivery of care and to challenge external professionals when he perceives them to fall short of their duties towards children. The timeliness of responding to concerns has generally improved. The registered manager has also identified learning from placement breakdowns. Inspection report for children's home: 2739974 5 The registered manager makes good efforts to engage parents however difficult this might be. He is open to feedback and acts on the views of others in order to improve outcomes for children. He has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. This is because the monitoring and review systems used by the manager, and the newly appointed responsible individual, are effective in identifying

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

weaknesses and action is taken to address them. Inspection report for children's home: 2739974 6

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Recommendations

 When assessing children's compatibility to live together, the registered manager should ensure that he actively assesses and documents the impact children's needs, behaviours and risks could have on each other and puts arrangements in place to mitigate identified risks and keep children safe. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the 'Social care common inspection framework'. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the 'Guide to the children's homes regulations, including the quality standards'. Inspection report for children's home: 2739974 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Lily Residential Services Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Spirare Limited, Mey House, Bridport Road, Poundbury, Dorchester, DT1 3QY

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Inspector:

Tara Webb, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2739974 8 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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